Milan Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2012-13 Fashion Trends at White

Fur, leopard print, geometric prints, gothic and silver are the key trends to emerge from Milan Fashion Week's fall/winter 2012-13 collections. This was confirmed by a trip to the White Milan Show, a fair for fashion buyers that takes place concurrently with the big name designer runway shows.

Fur is big, both real and fake, and not only in terms of popularity we're also talking volume here - big is better. However, with all that fur - one stand began to look like another. For me this year the accessories stood out and, given the economic climate, they are a great way to update your look without buying a whole new wardrobe. So here's my pick of the pieces I liked.

Leopard print

I found a gorgeous pair of pony skin leopard and zebra print boots by Hache, which shares the same designer with sister brand Ter Et Bantine. A matching ¾ length leopard print coat with lapels by Hache also caught my eye.

I have been searching for a good quality pony skin leopard print bag for ages - one big enough for my blogging kit of camera, ipad, cell phone, cables, plugs you name it. I found it! I am seriously in love with a purse by Great By Sandie, a Paris-based brand. The sales rep told me that five years ago leopard print didn't sell; now it's a different story and they are seeing serious demand from the Japanese market.

Metallic

Metallic is another trend from 2011 that will continue into fall/winter 2012. Sequined shoes were everywhere - I even spotted a woman in electric blue sequin shoes getting papped by bloggers. My favourites were a pair of hand-made brushed sequin ballerina shoes and purse bag by Italian brand Collection Privèe. They have teamed up with Porselli, the official suppliers of ballerina shoes to the La Scala in Milan, so not your average ballerinas then - these are the real deal. I loved that if you brush the sequins in different directions it changes the colour from burnished gold and silver to black.

Equestrian trend

The Duchess of Cambridge's favourite Le Chameau wellies were also at the White Show, where they announced that they are about to launch in the Italian market. A big thank you to the model on the stand for posing for my photo - it has gone nuts since I published it on Flickr and Pinterest.

Hats

Hats are the other big story for fall/winter 2012-13; they featured in many of the big name designer collections. Cloche hats are one to watch given the revival for Jazz Age fashion thanks to Gucci, Ralph Lauren and the films The Artist and Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby re-make. Borsalino, the granddaddy of milliners (famous for their Fedoras and Panama hats for men), had a nice collection of leopard print hats. Florence based Marzi is another Italian hat brand - their glossy black feather cloche was a standout for me.

Many thanks to those brands that took time to talk me through their new collections, and to those few that told me 'you can't take photographs and we don't like the internet' - what millennium are you guys living in? If you want to see the photos of these pieces, visit the blog http://glamyou.co.uk/milan-fashion-week-fall-2012-13-fashion-trends/